The Law on the Anti-Corruption Strategy of Ukraine until 2025 came into force on Sunday, after its publication on Saturday in the Voice of Ukraine newspaper.
According to the Telegrams of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC), the NAPC with the government, the public and business have already begun joint work to develop a state program to implement the Anti-Corruption Strategy. It will define specific tasks to overcome corruption and the authorities responsible for their implementation. The NAPC will ensure that the process is as inclusive as possible.
In addition, the NAPC will develop a special IT tool so that the public can monitor the implementation of the anti-corruption strategy.
The law was adopted by Parliament on June 20 and signed by the President of Ukraine on July 7.
The Anti-Corruption Strategy consists of four sections. The first one is devoted to the concept of formation of anti-corruption policy in Ukraine in the next five years. The remaining sections of the document contain a description of certain problems and expectations of strategic results to be achieved in order to solve them.
As noted in the law, the Anti-Corruption Strategy will help ensure the coherence and consistency of anti-corruption activities of all state authorities and local governments.
According to the document, the optimization of the functions of the state and local self-government provides for the elimination of duplication of powers by different bodies, the temporary cessation of the implementation of ineffective powers, which are characterized by a high level of corruption risks. The strategy also provides for the digital transformation of the exercise of powers by state authorities and local governments, transparency of activities and openness of data.
It also provides for the need to ensure the inevitability of legal liability for corruption and corruption-related offences.
According to the adopted law, a working group on anti-corruption policy issues (a coordinating working consultative and advisory group) will be created under the NAPC as a body co-chaired by the head of the NAPC and the Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The personal composition of the working group is approved by the government, in particular, by agreement, people’s deputies can also enter it. Its main tasks are to promote the coordination of actions of state authorities on the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Strategy and the implementation of measures of the state anti-corruption program.
The Verkhovna Rada annually no later than June 1 will have to hold parliamentary hearings on the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Strategy. At the same time, the NAPC undertakes to develop a new draft Anti-Corruption Strategy no later than August 1 of the year in which the previous one ends. In addition, the National Agency must annually inform the Cabinet of Ministers by April 1 about the results of the implementation of the measures of the state anti-corruption program to implement the Anti-Corruption Strategy.
From Monday, July 11, 2022, the norms of the anti-tobacco law 1978-IX come into force in Ukraine, providing for a ban on smoking tobacco products for heating (TIEN) in places specified by law along with cigarettes, hookahs and e-cigarettes (smoking of which prohibited since 2012).
As reported on the website of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the law also prohibits “smoking rooms” in the premises of enterprises of all forms of ownership and empowers local governments to establish additional smoking-free places.
“Thanks to the broad public support for anti-tobacco measures in Ukraine, there is a high level of compliance with smoke-free legislation. The State Food and Consumer Service is ready to respond to consumer complaints about cases of smoking or using tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, hookahs, and now devices for heating tobacco in prohibited places,” the agency quotes Yury Sakhno, his chief specialist of the Department for Control over Advertising and Compliance with Anti-Smoking Legislation.
The State Food and Consumer Service clarified that a complaint about smoking in a place prohibited by law can be filed through the official web portal of the department, including from a mobile phone. Smoking in places prohibited by law is the responsibility of both smokers-violators and business entities in the premises or on whose territory the offense is committed.
In turn, the head of the parliamentary committee of the nation’s health, medical care and medical insurance, Mikhail Radutsky, said in Telegram that for violating the ban for a citizen, the law that comes into force provides for a fine of UAH 51-350, for public catering establishments – UAH 3-15 thousand.
The law also provides for a ban on the sale of tobacco products, items related to their use, herbal products for smoking, electronic cigarettes, refill containers, devices for consuming tobacco products without burning them to persons under 18 years of age. Increased fines for selling tobacco products, electronic cigarettes and liquids to minors.
Radutsky noted that the adopted law brings Ukraine closer to European legislation. “We comply with the requirements of Directive 2014/40/EU and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Accordingly, the law is another step towards European integration. heating (80% of respondents) and the sale of devices for heating tobacco and electronic cigarettes to minors (92%),” he wrote.
At the same time, according to the head of the committee, the study shows that compared to 2020, in 2022 the number of daily smokers in Ukraine increased from 23.1% to 28.3%. “The main reason is the war. Those who quit many years ago start smoking. At present, we can only perceive this as an unfortunate fact. But I hope that in the future it will be possible to reverse the negative trend, encourage people to find other tools to neutralize negative emotions and stress,” – added Radutsky.
Russians have become leaders among real estate buyers in Turkey in the first five months of 2022, Kalinka Group reported, and buyers from Ukraine have entered the top five most active investors in Turkish real estate.
“The share of foreign buyers in the overall structure of real estate transactions in Turkey from January to May 2022 amounted to almost 5%,” said Alexander Shibaev, Development Director of Kalinka Group.
In second place among foreigners in Turkey are buyers from Iran with a share of 14%. Iraq closes the top three with 12%.
In fourth place is Kazakhstan, which has 4%. Afghanistan, Germany, Ukraine and Yemen have the same shares.
In total, foreigners purchased 27,048 properties in Turkey during the reporting period.
The share of foreign buyers in 2022 increased by 15% compared to last year and became the highest in the last five years.
The number of transactions with foreigners in 2022 increased by 70% compared to last year’s figures for this period.
Primary registrations of new commercial vehicles (including heavy-duty vehicles) in Ukraine in June of this year decreased by 7% compared to May of this year and by 3.4 times compared to June last year, to 429 units, Ukravtoprom reports.
According to a report on the association’s website, the best result in June (as a year ago) was demonstrated by the French Renault brand – 76 cars, which is 29.6% less than in May 2022 and 7 times less than last year’s June.
MAN is in second place with 52 cars (in June 2021 – 9th line of the rating), while in June of the last and in May of this year 54 cars were registered. Volkswagen climbed to third place with 45 cars registered, while a year ago it was in eighth place with 56 cars, and in May 2022 only 5 cars were sold.
Mercedes-Benz is fourth with 33 vehicles against 60 in June 2021 and 37 in May 2022, while Scania closes the top five with 32 registrations against 50 units. and 13 units. respectively.
According to the association’s statistics, compared to last year’s June, their positions in the ranking of Fiat (6th place against second) with 20 cars worsened, Peugeot (11th place against third) with 11 registered cars. In June, Belarusian MAZ trucks were also registered – 19 units. against 12 units. in May of the current and 73 units. in June last year.
In total, according to Ukravtoprom, 3.2 thousand new trucks and special vehicles were registered in Ukraine in the first half of the year, which is almost 52% less than in January-June last year.
The associations also published the statistics of initial registrations of new buses (including minibuses) in June, according to which they decreased by 11 times by June last year and almost three times by May of this year – up to 32 units.
Toyota became the leader in this shrinking market with 10 cars – in June of the last and May of the current year, buses of this brand were not registered in Ukraine.
In second place is Hyundai with five buses (as in May), the same number of Turkish Otokars are registered.
Citroen, the leader of last year’s June, sold only three buses against 190 a year earlier and 16 in May this year. Next in the ranking are domestic brands with insignificant results: three buses “Ataman” against 60 a year earlier and two – Etalon, against 21 units.
As reported, the Ukrainian fleet of new trucks and special vehicles in 2021 was replenished with 15.9 thousand new vehicles, which is 37% more than in 2020, annual bus statistics were not made public.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has published recommendations for citizens of Ukraine in connection with the aggravation of the security situation in Sri Lanka.
“In connection with the aggravation of the situation in Sri Lanka, we recommend that Ukrainians refrain from staying in crowded places and protests, as well as comply with the instructions of local law enforcement agencies,” the ministry said in a statement.
In the event of an emergency in Sri Lanka, citizens of Ukraine can contact the hotline of the Ukrainian Embassy in India: +91 92055 07157.
Protests in Sri Lanka have been going on for months. In recent days, they were accompanied by riots and arson.
On Saturday, protesters in Sri Lanka broke into the residence of President Gotabai Rajapaksa during the largest anti-government march. As reported by the Associated Press, citing local TV, thousands of protesters broke through the police barricades, they managed to enter the residence. According to Indian media, the president had to urgently leave the residence.
The protesters demand the president’s resignation.
Sri Lanka is experiencing its most serious crisis since 1948, when the country gained independence from Britain.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, following the dismissal of Andriy Melnyk from the post of Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, also dismissed 4 more ambassadors by decrees of July 9. In particular, Ludmila Nepop was fired from the post of Ukraine’s ambassador to Hungary, Vyacheslav Yatsyuk from the post of Ukraine’s ambassador to Norway, Yevhen Perebiinos from the post of Ukraine’s ambassador to the Czech Republic.
Igor Polikha was also fired from the post of Ambassador of Ukraine to India, as well as from the post of Ambassador of Ukraine to the Maldives, Nepal, Shri Lanka, Bangladesh concurrently.
Nepop has been Ukraine’s ambassador to Hungary since 2016. Yatsyuk was appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Norway in 2016. Perebiynis has been Ukraine’s ambassador to Norway since 2017. Poliha has served as the Ambassador of Ukraine to India since 2015.
